#yellowstonewildlife

Featured image (mobile) courtesy of Evan Watts  There is an unsung and oft-overlooked hero of Yellowstone National Park, and its name is Coyote (Canis latrans). Being widespread across the United States, many visitors overlook them in their frantic pursuit of a wolf sighting. However, by observing coyotes going “about their business,” you will see that…

Yellowstone National Park The day was June 18th, 2024, and what better way to spend your day off than exploring Yellowstone’s wonders with a camera in hand? This time of year, there is so much going on in the Northern Range that it’s hard to go elsewhere. Nonetheless, my curiosity led me to take a…

The grizzly bear, (Ursus arctos horribilis), has become an icon of Yellowstone National Park and of the wilderness in general. For a large portion of Yellowstone visitors, a grizzly bear sighting ranks right up toward the top of the bucket list, alongside witnessing such famous attractions as Old Faithful Geyser, the Grand Canyon of the…

It’s 6am in Lamar Valley. I wonder what we will see. You’re probably asking why there are already 100 vehicles lining the roadsides near the Lamar Buffalo Ranch, and whether the hundreds of visitors pointing spotting scopes out into the distance are seeing something. As it usually turns out, those people are watching–looking for or…

And just like that, our summery, late-August days recede, and Yellowstone’s natural calendar tells us autumn is fast approaching. Willows, cottonwoods, and aspen trees crisp yellow at their leafy edges with this shift at high elevations our first intimation of the change of seasons. Grasses and wildflowers wave brown, white headed, and weather beaten, testifying…

Photo courtesy of Yellowstone Wild Guide Evan Watts / Watts Wildlife Photography. Sparse clouds caught the orange glow of the rising sun as we drove east. It was a cool, damp morning in mid-July, and as we made our way into the Lamar Valley, the sun rose just enough to reveal the gentle, rolling slopes…

“Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way,” John Muir. As a naturalist guide in Yellowstone, one of the lessons I try to impart upon my guests is the best way to view baby wildlife in Yellowstone ethically and responsibly…

While ‘oohing and ahhing’ over the largest land mammal in North America, did you ever notice the small, seemingly ever-present bird perched atop a bison’s back or following closely around its feet? Enter… the “Buffalo Bird” (aka brown-headed cowbird). Courtesy National Park Service Courtesy Neal Herbert/NPS Courtesy Neal Herbert/NPS While other birds are priming nests…

One of the last days of June and the dash tells me it’s 38° F at 6 a.m. Awesome! That is exactly what I want on a morning drive to the center of a volcano. Geyser steam hangs thick in the air like cream of mushroom soup and Yellowstone is virtually deserted. As we drive…

The Yellowstone Floods of 2022 served as a stark reminder of the complex relationship between extreme weather events and climate change. As we witnessed—and continue to witness—the impacts of climate change worldwide it has become imperative for all of us as individuals, communities, businesses, and governments to take decisive action to curb greenhouse gas emissions…